Norvic Philatelics

Scotland: St Andrew's Day - 30 November 2006

Royal Mail will be issuing a new series of miniature sheets 'The
Four Countries of the United Kingdom' focusing specifically on
Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Each sheet will consist of three new stamps and one
existing country definitive and will be issued on the respective Saint's
Day. The first minisheet in this series, focusing on Scotland, will be
issued on St Andrew's Day 30th November 2006, and will be supported with
the usual range of stamp products.

The sheet contains two definitive-size stamps, one being the existing 1st
class Lion, and the other being a redesigned Scotland flag (Saltire) also
1st class. The two 72p stamps are 24x60mm (ie 3x the size of the
definitives) and show St Andrew and Edinburgh Castle.

The stamps in detail:

1st Class - Regional definitive Scotland - Lion of Scotland
Issued in 1999 as part of Country Definitives issue, designed by Tayburn
with photography by Julyan Rawlings.

72p - St Andrew
For Scots at home and abroad, St Andrew's Day is an opportunity not only
to celebrate their patron saint but also their national identity. On
November 30 every year, across the globe from Scotland
to North America and Australia, from Gambia and Mongolia to Papua New
Guinea, dinners and ceilidhs are held in honour of the fisherman from
Galilee who became Jesus's first disciple.
St Andrew, who is also patron saint of Greece and Russia, was crucified
for his beliefs by the Romans in Patras, part of modern Greece.

72p - Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh has been the Scottish capital since the 15th century. It has two
distinct areas: the Old Town, dominated by a medieval fo rt ress,
Edinburgh Ca stle; and the neoclassical New Town (both of
which have been World Heritage sites since 1995).
Edinburgh Castle stands on an immense rock dominating the famous Princes
Street and Scotland's capital city. It has withstood the turbulence of
events in Scottish history, but not without partial
destruction and centuries of neglect which persisted until the mid-19th
century. Today it houses the Honours of Scotland (the crown jewels) and is
the location of the Edinburgh Tattoo, a hugely
popular tourist attraction.

1st Class - Regional definitive Scotland
Scotland's Saltire flag, representing the X - shaped crucifix on which St
Andrew is said to have died, is among the world's oldest.
Popular myth states that the white cross on a blue ground commemorates a
shape which appeared in the clouds to the Pictish king Angus in the early
ninth century, when his kingdom was
under attack by Northumbrian ruler Athelstan. Despite being heavily
outnumbered, with this saintly support, Angus's men routed the invading
army.